Outrage as crime-ridden city removes key road safety measure so drivers can go FASTER at busy intersection

By JAMES CIRRONE, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:39, 3 April 2026 | Updated: 21:49, 3 April 2026 St. Louis outraged pedestrian safety advocates by getting rid of concrete bumpouts that narrowed portions of busy city roads and forced drivers to slow down.  City officials removed three curb extensions; one at the southwest corner of Broadway and Market, another at the entrance of the Ballpark Hilton Hotel's valet circle and a third on the other side of the circle. This was done after drivers got stuck in hourslong traffic jams in these areas after a concert last month at the Dome at America's Center. Bob O'Loughlin, whose Lodging Hospitality Management owns the Ballpark Hilton, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the bumpouts created traffic even on normal days. In the weeks after the concert fiasco, Mayor Cara Spencer met with downtown 'stakeholders' to discuss the problem. St. Louis Urbanists, a group that lobbies for a more walkable city, posted pictures of one of the bumpouts getting removed. The group called the move 'a masterclass in how our City government officially prioritizes driver convenience over your lives'. '[The bumpouts] are being removed. The reason? It wasn't a safety failure or a catastrophic flaw. They are being ripped out due to observations of 'traffic' after one single event,' the group said. Pictured: One of the concrete bumpouts that was installed after a rise in traffic deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic The bumpout, along with two others nearby, were removed by construction crews after they caused an hourslong traffic jam last month This graphic, provided by St. Louis City Hall, shows the three bumpouts that were removed 'This decision proves that driver convenience measured in minutes after a single event is officially more important to this City than the actual lives of people crossing the street,' their post continued. Alderwoman Jami Cox Antwi claimed the sidewalk extensions were removed without her knowledge. 'This is deeply frustrating and makes our Downtown a more dangerous place to live, work and visit,' Antwi said in a statement posted to social media. The bumpouts had been added after there was a spike in traffic deaths during the pandemic.  Critics of Mayor Spencer say she removed them at the behest of O'Loughlin, since a company he runs has contributed to her political action committee. 'It wasn't a favor,' she said on Thursday. 'It was a mess.'  O'Loughlin also denied exerting influence over the mayor's office in this manner. He also said the city should consider getting rid of more extensions that have cut Broadway from four lanes down to two. That road is the main path out for people who drive to the downtown core for popular events. Mayor Cara Spencer was accused of succumbing to political influence after approving the removal of the concrete bumpouts. She denied this and said they were removed to cut down on traffic Bob O'Loughlin's company owns the Ballpark Hilton, where the bumpouts were removed. He believes more bumpouts should be removed from the downtown core (pictured) to cut down on traffic 'If it takes people three hours to get in and out,' he said, 'people will stop coming.' O'Loughlin said reckless drivers should be dealt with by law enforcement. He did acknowledge St. Louis's reputation for drag racing. There were 23 pedestrian deaths in St. Louis in 2024. By comparison, New York City had 122 pedestrian deaths in the same year.  Adjusted for population, St. Louis’ pedestrian fatality rate is far higher - about 8.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to roughly 1.4 in New York. St. Louis recently created a special downtown district that will hire off-duty police officers to tamp down on drag racing over the coming months.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.